Turning Point
by aissaa
Summary: What took place in the Highwind, right before the end of DISC 2, my loyal interpretation of it. MAJOR spoilers for those who haven't been past Disc 2! Somewhat CloudTifa.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note**: Okay, first of all, this is _not, _I repeat, _not _a fanfic…well, okay, not really. These are the particular scenes in the Highwind that take place right before Disc 2 of the game ends. These are my most favorite scenes—they are poignant, they are meaningful, and they are most importantly, turning points in Cloud's relationship, with himself, and with the rest of them. I love these scenes to bits, and I do no justice to them by writing down my own interpretation, but I try, I just want to convey to other people how I really feel about these scenes. So, there. Not an original plot, just an interpretation of how I saw the following scenes.

(The dialogue is really from the game though, and the mannerisms, etc. The thoughts and descriptions are my own, though. I haven't played the game in awhile as well, so there might be few things—little things—wrong.)

**Disclaimer:** Final Fantasy VII and their characters are not mine, they are the property of Squaresoft Enix, etc., etc., you know the drill.

This is the first time I've written actual fanfiction (well err, okay, sort-of fanfiction), for an actual fandom, in _four_ years! It's good to be back. : )

First out of three parts.

-----

**1:Seven Days—We Have A Reason To Fight**

Twilight fell.

They were all gathered on the bridge of the Highwind. Even Yuffie, who was always usually off the deck, getting sick (as her constitution never fared well when it came to air travel). They were all there—Cloud, Tifa, Barret, Vincent, Yuffie, Cid, Cait Sith. Their team—they were a whole bunch of misfits. Thrown together by circumstances, happenstance.

And now, they were on the verge of something, something terrifyingly big. People were afraid.

Of course they were afraid.

And nobody knew what to do.

Cait Sith—Reeve actually, speaking through the little electronic device he had installed into the toy— spoke first, breaking the stillness, the somewhat terse silence, within the ship. "Shinra's…finished."

Without the giant plush moogle he usually rode atop, the little robotic cat looked even smaller, meeker, more vulnerable, than the usual.

No one spoke after that. Nobody really wanted to say anything—the entire situation was staring them in the face, but nobody wanted to acknowledge a thing about it right now. Cait Sith's statement didn't help much, as far as anybody else was concerned.

Cloud moved towards the huge bay window and peered outside, sighing inwardly—the sky was a reddish-purple hue, not from the setting of the sun, but from the meteor that loomed, hung, rather ominously, just above the planet's surface. _No one wants to admit it, but it's there. It's there. And we're going to have to face facts about it, sooner or later. _

He spoke. "Meteor's gonna fall in about…"

He turned to face the others, scanning the room, their faces, impassively. Everyone else was holding out too, as he was. _They think they're being brave. _But that was how it usually was, wasn't it? One was never supposed to let fear take ahold of you, and a way of controlling the fear was to try and make the most of things, try and see things in a better light. _That's not what we're doing. What we're doing is avoiding the issue, the big picture. Nothing's going to come out of that if that's all we're going to keep on doing._

Red's tail flickered, and his green, liquid eyes glimmered as he raised his head to meet Cloud's. "Seven more days. That's what Grandfather said."

_Seven more days._

Cloud stepped away from the window, and strode purposely towards the four-legged, genetically-modified experiment gone wrong—Red XIII was as wild an animal as any of the other untamed creatures from the depths of Planet on the outside, but he had the heart, and spirit, of a man, a warrior.

Red's eyes shifted about, and for a moment, Cloud thought he had detected a tremor—of uncertainty, of fear?—run through the beast.

"Red XIII…Do you want to see everyone in Cosmo Canyon again?" Cloud inquired. Softly.

Red turned away all of a sudden, unable to meet Cloud's eye. Then he spoke, after a long, long moment.

"...Yes."

Red immediately turned his back on Cloud, unable to meet the gaze of anyone else in the ship, his head hanging. His tail had stopped flickering about, and had lain to rest on the humming wooden panels of the floor beneath them.

Cloud turned to face Barret, who was standing by the bay window, gazing out at the horizon—still reddish-purple, though it had grown somewhat a darker shade of red than purple now—though it seemed as if he was staring off into the distance as more of an excuse—so he wouldn't have to meet anyone else's eyes, or have to avert his eyes from everyone else averting their eyes from each others'?

Cloud spoke to the hulking man. He and Barret had had their differences, but they had been through a lot, and had come a long ways from where they had first started off—Barret the angry leader of the rebellious AVALANCHE group, and he, the hired help, the mercenary, the EX-SOLDIER. _Strange, the way things seem to go._ "You want to see Marlene, right?"

Barret immediately turned about to face Cloud, as if he had been struck. His nostrils flared, and though he tried to remain impassive, unemotional, the uncertain tone in his voice, the breaking—his words, gave him away. "Don't ask me that."

Cloud shook his head. _Stop it. Stop trying to be strong. _"We'll beat Sephiroth. Then…if we don't release the power of Holy in seven days..."

He paused for a moment, as he realized, for the first time, the extent, the gravity of their mission… "There won't be a planet left to protect."

He let his words sink into everyone else's heads, keeping silent, for another moment. No one was averting their eyes anymore, they were all looking at him, facing him level, waiting for him to speak some more. Maybe that was all it took, for someone to start it. _No…they were waiting for me to start it. Because I'm the leader. Their leader. _

Cloud shrugged, rather off-handedly. "If we _can't_ beat Sephiroth," he went on, speaking calmly, feeling unusually clear-headed about the whole situation, and where this was going—" Then it's as good as death for us. We'll just go a few days sooner than the rest who'll die from Meteor."

Barret bristled, and his eyes flashed angrily, with contempt. The man had always had quite the temper—and no patience whatsoever for Cloud and his 'sullen fits' and 'extreme negativity', as some of the more articulate, unforgiving members of their party had taken to calling them. Barret just called them 'Cloud's goddamn' airs' _("Jes' 'cause you was in SOLDIER, don't mean you're better than the rest of us!") _

"Don't be thinkin' you're gonna lose before ya even fight…" Barret began.

Cloud interrupted him mid-way, a gloved hand held up, "No!"

Barret fell silent again, and Cloud walked back up to the bay window, allowing himself another glimpse of the sky outside, the clouds beneath. It barely vaguely registered to him that night had already begun to fall.

"What I meant was..."

He turned back to face the others again. "What are we all fighting for? I want us all to understand that." Everyone else was quiet now, nobody was stirring, all eyes were on him—not even Yuffie was wriggling about, everyone was watching him, and hopefully, taking it all in, what he was saying, thinking things through.

Cloud went on, quietly. "Save the planet... for the future of the planet...Sure, that's all fine. But _really_, is that really how it is?"

He took a few steps forward, moving closer, towards the group.

His team.

"For me, this is a personal feud—I want to beat Sephiroth. And settle my past…saving the planet just happens to be a part of that."

Still silence. It seemed almost as if nobody dared even to breathe.

"I've been thinking." Cloud nodded thoughtfully. "I think we all are fighting…for ourselves. For ourselves...and that someone...something...whatever it is, that's important to us. That's what we're fighting for, that's why we keep up this battle for the planet."

He looked at Barret again. This time, Barret scratched his head—was he confused? Cloud swore inwardly, and was about to write the man off as a half-wit, _truly, _when Barret spoke up, his tone of voice lacking that bite of…_anger_, that had been there for the past few—how long had it been, really?—that had been there almost the entire time, Cloud put it at that.

"You're right..." Barret said quietly. "It sounds cool sayin' it's to save the planet. But I was the one who blew up that Mako reactor..."

He looked away, away from their eyes. All their eyes on him. "Lookin' back on it now, I can see that wasn't the right way to do things."

The hulking, black man took on a different tone, Cloud could have sworn he heard…regret And, perhaps, realization? "I made a lot of friends and innocent bystanders suffer..."

Barret thrust his fists into the air. "...At first, it was for revenge against Shinra. For attackin' my town."

He paused. "But now...Yeah. I'm fightin' for Marlene."

His eyes glowed—shimmered would have been a better word—and he seemed to change, from the inside. Cloud now didn't sense any anger within him—instead, a strong sense of determination. "For Marlene... For Marlene's future..."

Barret nodded, and shadow-punched into the air. "Yeah... I guess I want to save the planet for Marlene's sake."

Cloud nodded. "Then go and see her. Make sure you're right, and come back."

He turned to everyone else. "All of you. Get off the ship and find out your reasons for yourselves." Cloud took in a deep breath, then went on, looking them all levelly, calmly, in the eye. "I want you to make sure. Then I want you to come back."

Cid Highwind shrugged and threw his hands up in the air, in confusion, and partly—secretly, quietly, in fear. And despair. "Maybe ain't none of us'll come back—Meteor's just gonna kill us all anyway. Let's just forget any useless struggling!"

Cloud nodded again thoughtfully. He understood why Cid would feel that way. He'd understand if everyone else in the party felt that way.

"I know why I'm fighting. I'm fighting to save the planet, and that's that." He turned to Cid. "But besides that, there's something personal too... A very personal memory that I have."

No one spoke. Most of them could guess what exactly that was. Or at least, they thoughtthey could guess what it was. Nobody really knew what went on inside Cloud Strife's head.

"What about you all?" Cloud went on, almost imploringly. _A memory. _"I want all of you to find that something within yourselves. If you don't find it, then that's okay, too. You can't fight without a reason, right?

Pause.

"So, I won't hold it against you if you don't come back." Cloud nodded. And that was that.

Cid rubbed the back of his head in a somewhat frustrated manner, but he didn't say anything anymore. He understood.

They, understood.

He turned to the pilot, and signaled that the Highwind head for land immediately.


	2. 2:understanding

**Author's note**: Okay, first of all, this is _not, _I repeat, _not _a fanfic…well, okay, not really. These are the particular scenes in the Highwind that take place right before Disc 2 of the game ends. These are my most favorite scenes—they are poignant, they are meaningful, and they are most importantly, turning points in Cloud's relationship, with himself, and with the rest of them. I love these scenes to bits, and I do no justice to them by writing down my own interpretation, but I try, I just want to convey to other people how I really feel about these scenes. So, there. Not an original plot, just an interpretation of how I saw the following scenes.

(The dialogue is really from the game though, and the mannerisms, etc. The thoughts and descriptions are my own, though.)

**Disclaimer:** Final Fantasy VII and their characters are not mine, they are the property of Squaresoft Enix, etc., etc., you know the drill.

This is the first time I've written actual fanfiction (well err, okay, sort-of fanfiction), for an actual fandom, in _four_ years! It's good to be back. : )

**2:Understanding**

Dark.

Night had fallen. The Highwind had been put down for the night, and everyone else had gone their separate ways—Red, back to Cosmo Canyon, for what might have been the last time…Barret, to see Marlene…Yuffie, in Wutai, Cid, in Rocket Town, Vincent…who knew where Vincent went?

Cloud and Tifa were alone, on the bridge of the airship. Cloud noted that Tifa kept by her place the entire time, still watching the clouds go by, never making a move to leave, even after everyone else had gone. Everyone else but him.

He kept his eyes on her.

"What are you going to do, Tifa?"

Tifa turned to him, finally.

"Did you forget?" Her familiar, lilting brown eyes were searching his face, his eyes, pleadingly. "I'm...all alone. I don't have anywhere to go."

Cloud didn't speak—words weren't needed. His eyes met hers', and he held her gaze, in a silent, mutual understanding.

---

They found themselves out of the Highwind, on a nearby grassy hill, taking solace, taking comfort, in the silence, and peace, that the night brought about them. There was nothing to be heard but the faint whistling of the wind, the rustling of the grass as the wind wove through them.

There were stars in the sky, surprisingly.

Tifa stood, gazing out into the horizon—almost as if she were trying to see beyond everything that there was…it was almost as if she were searching for something. Which she probably was, Cloud realized.

"Everyone's gone..."

Her voice came out, barely anything more than a whisper, barely above the sound of the evening breeze.

Cloud stood right behind her, though faced in the opposite direction. "Yeah…we don't have anywhere or anyone to go home to."

Tifa looked down, and seemed to let out an inward sigh. "You're right..."

She paused, as though uncertain. Then she looked back up, straightening, pushing her long, dark hair back with one hand, out of her eyes, out of her way.

"But... I'm sure someday... they'll come back, don't you think?" She pressed on, the tone in her voice uncertain, unsure, Cloud noted.

He crossed his arms.

"Hmm...I wonder...?" Cloud mused out loud.

_I wonder._

"Everyone has an irreplaceable something they're holding on to...but this time…our opponent..."

He trailed away, and didn't finish the thought—he didn't have to, Tifa knew.

Silence.

The wind, the evening breeze, died down, and it was absolutely quiet, once more.

Then, Tifa nodded—it was a tiny nod, but Cloud caught the affirmative movement out the corner of his eye. "Hmm...But that's all right, even if no one comes back."

Another short, uncertain pause.

Then Tifa went on again, hurriedly, stumbling over her words. "As long as I'm with you... As long as you're by my side..."—She slowed down—"I won't give up…even if I'm scared."

Cloud uncrossed his arms and turned around, to look at Tifa.

She was standing behind him, looking back at him, with that same pleading, hopeful look in her eyes, still searching, his face, searching…

He couldn't speak for a moment. "...Tifa..."

She moved her arms behind her. "No matter how close we are...We were far apart... before this. But when we were in the Lifestream, surrounded by all those screams of anguish, I thought I heard your voice..."

Tifa couldn't help it—she closed her eyes, as to try and stop the tears from running down her face, but to no avail. She cried, and sobbed softly, the hair around her face matted, and wet, from her tears.

Her arms fell to her sides, and she bowed her head, as if ashamed of her tears, as if to hide from Cloud and his eyes, his eyes on her.

She sniffed. "You probably don't remember this...but deep in my heart, I heard you calling my name...Or at least, I thought I did..."

Cloud averted his gaze from Tifa, casting his eyes to the ground instead. He put a hand over his face.

He spoke after awhile, softly. "Yeah... At that time I heard you calling me. You…were calling me back in from the stream of consciousness in the Lifestream."

Cloud lowered his hand from his face and nodded silently. "After all, I promised. That if anything were to ever happen to you…I would come to help."

_I would come to help. _

Tifa opened her eyes, still wet with tears, and looked up at him. "Cloud...?" She began, softly. "Do you think…the stars can hear us?"

She gazed off to one side, seemingly lost in her thoughts. "Do you think…they see how hard we're fighting for them?"

Cloud looked up at the sky.

"I dunno... But..."

He squinted, staring up at the heavens. He had never noticed that there were so much stars in the night sky before. How long had it been since he last stopped to look at the stars?

"Whether they are or not, we still have to do what we can. And believe in ourselves..." he drifted off again, for a moment. "Someday we'll find the answer. Right, Tifa? That's what I learned from you when I was in the Lifestream."

Tifa nodded imperceptibly.

"Yeah...that's right..."

Cloud stared off into the distance—into the horizon, the darkened heavens, awhile longer, immersed in his thoughts…in the gravity of the situation, the gravity of the very moment…

He turned away from her, slightly, and lowered his head.

"Hey, Tifa...I..."

His voice caught in his throat. "…There are a lot of things I wanted to talk to you about."

He shook his head, slowly. "But…now that we're together like this, I don't know what I really wanted to say..." He blinked. "I guess nothing's changed at all... Kind of makes you want to laugh..."

Tifa shook her head. "Cloud..."

He listened.

"Words aren't the only things that tell people what you're thinking..."

He looked at her. Tifa was staring off into the distance, into space, still playing with her long dark hair, with one hand.

She wasn't looking at him. She didn't have to.

He didn't say anything.

He didn't have to.


End file.
